Tupelo Honey
by OriginalPippie
Summary: This is a sequel to "Emotional". Things have been heating up between Epstein and Cutie Pie now that they're back together. He mentions "love" and his ideas for the future. But his plans may not happen if Cutie Pie's sister has anything to do with it.
1. Chapter 1

Epstein lay there, grinning softly as he watched Cutie Pie sleep next to him. He gently brushed her cheek, moving a few strands of hair out of the way. Leaning in, he gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, careful not to wake her. Then, as carefully and slowly as he could, he slid out of the bed.

As he got dressed and gathered his things, he tried to be as quiet as possible. He glanced over at the bed. Smiling to himself, he watched her sleep some more. He then quietly made his way over to the window and opened it.

That was when Cutie Pie shifted in the bed. She reached to wrap her arm around Epstein, only to feel an empty space. She turned over and opened her eyes to see him standing by the window.

"Juan? What's going on? What time is it?"

"Hey." He whispered, walking back over to the bed. "Didn't mean to wake you. Listen, it's one in the morning. I really should be headin' home." He leaned down and gave her a kiss. "I'll see you at school."

She grinned a little. "You mean you're too scared to spend an entire night with me? Especially after what we did?"

"Honey," he smiled, "I ain't afraid. I just feel it's best that I get home before anyone notices I ain't been home all night." He kissed her again. "See you in a few hours, honey."

"Alright. See you soon, Juan." She watched him go back over to the window. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, honey." He smiled and then climbed out the window.

…

Later in school, Epstein walked Cutie Pie to her first class. Before she entered the classroom, he pulled her in for a nice big kiss. He didn't care at all that other students were around to see it.

"Ooh… Getting in a little PDA before class, eh Epstein?" Judy Borden teased, interrupting the kiss.

"What?" Epstein asked, shrugging with a cocky smile. "I ain't supposed to kiss my girlfriend?"

"Is that what you were doing? Looked more like you were trying to climb inside her, starting with your tongue."

"Hey Judy." Cutie Pie said. "It's a windy day out there. Why don't you go blow somewhere else?"

Judy's mouth hung open and she huffed. She tried to make a comeback remark but was too astonished to say anything. Cutie Pie and Epstein laughed as they watched Judy walk away, defeated. Once alone again, Epstein turned to Cutie Pie, impressed.

"What a rank, Susie! You've been learning from us Sweathogs."

She shrugged. "Learned from the best, I guess." The bell rang, and she gave him another kiss. "See you after class, Juan."

"Yeah, see you honey."

He strolled away, unable to remove the smile from his face. Headed to Gabe's classroom, he approached his friends in the hall with a cool strut. Vinnie was the first to greet him, smiling and laughing a little.

"Hey Epstein! Where's Cutie Pie? Thought she'd be with you."

"Walked her to class."

Vinnie looked at him, He stepped back, waved a finger at him and smirked. "Epstein, I know that look."

"What?" Epstein asked while smiling. "What look?"

"Come on, don't play dumb with me. I can always tell when you've got some." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "So, did you and Cutie Pie…"

"Yeah." He laughed a little. "Yeah we did. Just last night actually."

"Hey alright Epstein!" Vinnie wrapped an arm around Epstein's shoulders, and then got the attention of their classmates. "Hey everybody! Got an announcement. Turns out that our very own Epstein and Cutie Pie finally did the deed!"

The other guys, and some girls, gave out hoots, hollers and whistles. Freddie came over and gave Epstein low fives.

"Hey alright Epstein! Finally got some action!"

"Good job Little Juan!" Horshack added. "Maybe one day you can teach me how." He finished with a small laugh.

Freddie laughed. "Hey why don't you tell us how it was? Give us the details."

"Nah. No I ain't givin' no details." Epstein started to walk to the classroom. "Not this time." He smirked. "Wasn't like the other times." He stepped in the doorway. "Wasn't just sex." He smiled and then entered the classroom, leaving his friends baffled.

They followed him to talk about his time with Cutie Pie. But at that point, Gabe entered the room and made them all take their seats.

Gabe started class by announcing a test. To this, most of the students moaned and groaned, while Epstein remained smiling. This completely stunned Gabe, leaving him dumbfounded in his spot.

"What's this?" He asked, with a bit of a comical tone. "I announced a test coming up. And not only did Juan Epstein not complain or try to protest with some sort of excuse to get out of it, but he sat there smiling like it was the greatest news he ever heard." He moved over to Epstein's desk, suddenly suspicious. "Ok Epstein. Spill it."

"Spill what?"

"Don't play dumb. That's Vinnie's job. What did you do? There has to be some sort of colossal prank in the works, and you're clearly the mastermind behind it. I want to know what you're planning, Epstein."

"What?" He asked with an innocent laugh. "I ain't planin' nothin' Mr. Kotter. Can't a guy just be happy?"

"Not you. Not when I just announced a test coming up. So what gives?"

Vinnie smiled "Hey Epstein, why don't you tell him your news?"

"Vinnie, I ain't saying a word about it. Besides, you already know everything you need to know about it."

"Know about what?" Gabe asked, confused. "What is going on?"

"Mr. Kah-tare." Freddie said. "Our man Juan Epstein finally achieved something real big."

Gabe laughed and pointed a finger at Epstein. "You took a bath with nobody else in the bathroom!"

"Nah. Now come on! I already said I ain't talkin' about it."

"Talking about what?" Gabe asked, starting to get irritated.

Vinnie laughed. "Epstein and Cutie Pie got it on last night."

All at the same time, the other students went in an uproar of hoots and hollers, Epstein glared at Vinnie and Gabe appeared shocked over Vinnie's statement. It was clear by Gabe's expression that he had instantly regretted asking about Epstein's happy mood. He quickly quieted the class down and got their attention.

"Alright! Enough, enough. Clearly, I made the mistake of butting in again. I really did not need to know about the love lives of my students. Now let's settle down and act like a real class."

Epstein, still focused an "I'm going to kill you" glare at Vinnie. "That's one reason why I said no details. That was not your news to spread, especially to Mr. Kotter. Look, you've brought it all out into the open now. Let's just leave it at that." He looked at the other students. "Same goes for all of you!"

"Ok Juan, settle down now." Gabe said. "He's right, though. Let's get past this and start class. Everyone get out your text books."

Even though some students were still talking about Epstein's night with Cutie Pie, the class did manage to settle down and act like a civilized classroom of students. Epstein was glad that most of the talk about what happened had died down, even though he was proud of his news.

At the end of class, Epstein was last to leave, following his friends to the door. Gabe stopped him while the others went on ahead.

"I know this whole thing between you and your girlfriend is none of my business. I don't want it to be." Gabe said. "But I'm just curious. Normally with something like this, you're bragging about it. And I have to hear about it whether I want to or not. This time, you're wanting to keep it to yourself."

Epstein grinned. "Honest?" He shrugged a little. "This time is different. Susie, well she's a real special girl. So… I guess you can say this time really meant something to me."

"It meant something to you." Gabe grinned slightly. "You really care about her, don't you?"

Epstein nodded. "Yeah. She… she means everything to me. Let's just leave it at that." He smiled and headed out the door. "Mañana!"

"Mañana." Gabe chuckled. He realized that, for once, one of his students was maturing. And he couldn't have been prouder.

Epstein grunted as he pushed himself through sit-ups. Cutie Pie held his legs as she coached him to keep going. Normally, sit-ups wouldn't have been such a struggle for him, but he had already been doing other exercises before this. He was exhausted, coming near the end of his daily workout with Cutie Pie. Just like any day at this time, he was exhausted and beginning to whine about stopping. And just like every day at this point, Cutie Pie encouraged him to finish his workout.

"You've got this, Juan. Only one more exercise after this and then a cool down."

Epstein panted a little and pushed himself through the rest of the sit-ups. For several months now, he had been working hard to lose fifty pounds. Cutie Pie acted as his personal coach during his workouts, and kept him on track with his diet. He had lost almost twenty-five pounds so far but he still had some ways to go before he was back at his normal weight. Many times over the past several months, he wanted to give up, nearly giving into his temptations to go back to his emotional eating habits. But every time he almost slipped up, he thought about Cutie Pie and how disappointed she would be in him if he quit.

"Great job." She said. "One more."

He took a breath and pushed himself to sit up. As he sat up all the way, he moved in closer to steal a kiss. He laughed, seeing her brief look of surprise.

"You always fall for that, Susie. How do you not see it coming by now?"

"Maybe I do." She blushed.

"Right."

He laughed a little as he stood up. He grabbed his water glass and took a drink before walking across the room to his closet. Inside the closet he had installed a bar going across the top for pull-up exercises. He rubbed his hands together and then grabbed the bar, pulling himself up.

"Juan, tomorrow we should do something different."

"Yeah?" He grunted as he pulled himself up, placing his chin over the bar. "How so?"

"We should do your favorite."

"Sex?" He smirked.

She laughed. "No! We should go for a run."

He cringed. "Aw come on! You know I hate that!"

"Well I also know you'd hate it even more if you were still twenty-five pounds heavier."

Epstein lowered himself with a small sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. We'll go for a run. But on one condition." He pulled himself up. "Sex later on after the run. If I ain't dead that is."

She giggled "Juan!" He smirked at her. "Alright fine. You win."

"Hey. It is good exercise, y'know." He laughed and continued with his pull-ups.


	2. Chapter 2

Later that evening, Epstein entered the family room where his parents were relaxing before dinner. He wasn't sure exactly what he was going to say to them, but he knew that it would be one of the most important talks he would have with his parents. So he knew it would be best to just speak from the heart.

"Ma, Pop, do you have a minute to talk? I mean in private."

"You're not in trouble, are you mijo?" His father asked.

"Lord!" His mother gasped. "Don't tell me you're going to jail! Juan don't break my heart like that!"

"Ma! Relax. It's nothing bad."

"Better not be." His father replied. "You know you ain't too old for a whoopin' if it is bad."

"Murry!" His mother warned.

"Pop please! I swear it ain't nothin' bad!" He took a breath. "But it is kinda important." He sat down in a chair near them. "It's about me and Susie."

"Oh that reminds me, Juan did she leave already? I meant to send her home with some of my famous churros."

"Yes she left." He groaned, suddenly realizing. "Aw ma! Chuuros? You know I haven't had those in so long! Why'd you have to make those?" he complained.

"I know. And I'm proud of you for sticking to your diet for so long. I never would have had that much will power. And watching you lose weight and stick to your diet sure is a heck of a lot better than watching you eat everything in sight."

"Ma!" He sighed. "Please. You're makin' me forget why I wanted to talk to you two."

"You're right. I'm sorry, Juan." She said

"Go on, mijo. Whatever this is, we can tell it's really important."

"Thank you." He paused to think. "Now I need the two of you to listen to what I have to say." He looked at them both. "You know Susie and I have been goin' together for a while. She, ah, she has been real good for me. Helping me lose weight, helping me through my depression, and she helps me study so you have her to thank for my improved grades."

His mother smiled "And we couldn't be any prouder of you."

"Thanks, ma. Like I was sayin'… Susie… well she is real special to me, y'know? She means the world to me. I went through my depression because I thought I had lost her for good." He looked down and fidgeted a little. "Ma… Pop… I know you never wanted us to say we love a girlfriend, or boyfriend while we're still in high school, because you think we're too young for that." He looked up at them, showing sincerity in his eyes. "But I know how I feel. I know this is real and it shouldn't matter how old I am."

"You love her." His father stated seriously.

"Yes."

"But you're so young!" His mother cried.

"I know, ma. That's kinda what I'm getting' at. Like I said, it shouldn't matter how old I am." He looked at them for a moment. "Tell me, Ma, Pop, how old were you when the two of you first were goin' together?"

"Why…. I suppose we were about your age, mijo." His father said.

"Right. And how long before you started saying I love you to each other?"

His parents were silent. They looked at each other, as though communicating without spoken words.

"Juan, to be honest, we had only been dating a few months. Your father is the one who said it first."

"I knew how I felt, and I needed to express it."

Epstein frowned. "So… why am I too young for it?"

"Mijo, listen," his father started, "we only told you and your siblings this about not saying you love someone you're dating while in high school, for a very good reason. We want you to be sure it's how you really feel. And we don't want you so caught up in a high school romance that might end once school does."

Epstein thought about this for a moment. "Like I said, I know how I feel. I love Susie. And… well I'll tell you right now, I know this isn't just some high school romance that'll break up any time soon. It's real. And, well, honest, I look into the future and I don't see any possible outcome where she won't be in it with me."

His parents were silent for a moment, and a little stunned.

"You're saying an awful lot, Juan Luis." His mother said. "But we can tell how serious you are."

His father nodded. "You're thinking about marrying her, aren't you?"

Epstein swallowed and nodded. "One day, I mean. I plan on finishin' school first at least. But, yeah, I want to marry her… someday down the line. I promise I won't rush into it. As much as I love Susie, I know better. I know marriage can wait until the right time."

Again there was silence and another unspoken conversation among his parents.

"Juan Luis," his mother started, "if you love her, truly love her like you say you do,"

"And your word is good on waiting on marriage," his father continued.

"Then you have our blessing." She smiled "I already think of her as my daughter-in-law."

Epstein smiled, relieved. "Thank you, Ma, Pop. This means a lot to me, hearin' that."

His mother brought him into a hug and kissed his forehead. "Meet me in my bedroom after dinner. I have something for you."

He grinned slightly. "Alright." He looked at them. "Thank you both, again."

Epstein didn't know what to think as he went to his parent's bedroom like his mother had asked. He felt awkward, unsure if he should knock or just walk in. He didn't know why, but he felt a bit nervous not knowing what his mother possibly could have wanted. For a moment, he stood there in the doorway, watching as his mother rummaged through things in the room. He cleared his throat to get her attention. When she looked at him, she smiled and welcomed him into the room.

"Sit, sit." She said, happily.

He sat on the bed. "What's this about, Ma?"

"Juan, I've been waiting for something like this to happen. I just never thought you would be the one to get this."

"Get what?" He asked, confused,

"Now hold on. Let me find it."

She looked through a box and then smiled with delight as she took something from it.

"This, Juan, is something very special." She walked over to him and presented a small jewelry box. He looked at the box and frowned a little.

"Ma what is it?"

"This," she opened the box to reveal an old but stunning ring, "was my grandmother's ring. It has been passed on from her, to my mother, and to me. Now I want to pass it on to you."

"Aw come on, Ma! Why would I want an old lady's ring? Why don't you save it for one of my sisters?"

"You will appreciate it when the time comes." She sat next to him and carefully took the ring out of the box to show him better. "You could use this one day to propose. I wanted it to stay in the family, and since I had more boys than girls, I thought what better way to keep it in the family than to see it upon my daughter-in-law's finger?"

"Oh wow Ma… I don't know what to say."

"It would mean a lot to me if you passed this on to Susie. When the time is right, of course."

Epstein grinned, taking the ring in his hand. He turned it around, studying it carefully. "Thanks, Ma. I'll take good care of this."

"You don't and I'll kill you. Your great grandmother will come up from the grave and help me strangle the life out of you."

He laughed. "Got it." He looked at her and smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Juan Luis." She hugged him and kissed his forehead. "Make me proud."

"I will."

He put the ring into the box and then carefully carried the box to the doorway. Stopping in his spot, he turned with a frown.

"Hey Ma? Didn't you also give your grandmother's ring to Sanchez a few years ago?"

She shrugged with a small smirk. "She wore a lot of rings. But that one was always my favorite. It's the nicest one she owned."

He grinned and nodded before leaving the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Epstein sat on Cutie Pie's bed, waiting for her to return. She had left for a few minutes, letting him know she would be back soon. As he waited, he started getting bored. He lay back, resting his head on her pillow. Staring up at the ceiling, he thinking about the first night they spent together. He thought about how he lay awake, watching her sleep at one in the morning. How beautiful she looked with just a little bit of moonlight peeking in through the window, cascading down upon her. It was in that moment when he realized that he was going to marry her one day.

Those thoughts drew his attention to the ring in his pocket. Ever since his mother had given it to him, he thought it would be a good idea to keep it on him at all times, just in case the mood struck him just right. He looked at the ring, taking in every detail, and knew it would be perfect upon Cutie Pie's finger. A soft grin spread across his lips as he admired the ring, imagining what he would do when he proposed to her. Even though he promised his parents he would hold off on marriage, he knew that he wouldn't be able to wait to propose to her. After all, it would just be an engagement, not the actual marriage.

"Nice ring, Juan."

Epstein jumped up, startled, and scrambled to put the ring back into his pocket. When he saw Cutie Pie's sister standing in the doorway, he sighed in relief. Then he frowned, knowing no good would come from seeing her.

"What do you want, Stephanie?"

"Oh nothing." She entered the room, nonchalantly. "What was that ring?" She smiled a little.

"None of your business."

"Hmm." She sat next to him on the bed, a bit too close for his comfort. "I'm bored."

"So why don't you take a walk? Right off the Brooklyn Bridge."

"Oh!" She laughed. "So rude! Juan, why don't you like me?"

"I like you alright. But you're always buttin' in where you don't belong. And you're always flirting with me when Susie ain't around."

"Me?" She feigned shock, placing a hand on her chest. "I would never!"

"Steph! You do it every chance you get! Look, I know you like me and all, but you have to back off. I ain't ever goin' to be interested in you, especially when I'm with your sister."

"Oh please, Juan," she started, twirling a finger through some of his curls, "I know you like it when I flirt with you. You like me, I can tell."

He slapped her hand away and scooted away from her. "Quit it, Stephanie."

"Come now. Don't get upset." She teased.

She unbuttoned the top button of her blouse, giving him a good view of her cleavage. "Juan…" She paused, moving in closer. "Don't fight it. You know you've always wanted me."

He glanced at her cleavage then quickly turned his eyes away. "Steph." He took another quick glance. "Please stop."

"Why? Is this getting… a rise out of you?" She giggled. "By the way… with the weight you've lost, you've been looking pretty foxy lately." She placed a hand on his leg. "You've slimmed down quite a bit. And I can tell you've been working on your muscles."

He found it difficult to hold himself back, and not give in to her advances. It was a hard fight against his temptations. He knew he had to remain loyal to Cutie Pie no matter what.

"Stephanie." He said, getting nervous. He had to keep fighting the temptation like he always had with her. "You have to stop." He swallowed.

"Stop what?" She rubbed his leg, awfully close to his crotch. "This?"

Stephanie wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap, straddling him. He tried to push her off him, but she forced him down to where she was lying on top of him, and then gave him a big kiss. Unfortunately, he pushed her away from him too late. The thing that Cutie Pie saw upon her return was the two of them in mid-kiss. She shrieked and then her sister climbed off Epstein. Epstein hurried to his feet and over to Cutie Pie, desperately trying to explain. Before he would get a word out, she slapped him across the face.

"Get out!" She screamed.

"Susie wait!"

"I don't want to hear it! Just get out!"

Cutie Pie shoved him and then ran out of the room crying. Epstein stood there stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do. He looked over at Stephanie, who stood there looking smug at him from the doorway.

"You bitch." He snarled.

"Oops!" She laughed. "You better catch her."

He started to storm off, but stopped right in front of her. "I ain't through with you. I'll get you for this."

"Ooh! I love when you get angry. Sends shivers down my spine."

He scowled and then shoved past her. Racing down the stairs, he chased after Cutie Pie, calling her name.

"Wait!" He stopped her and grabbed her by the wrists. "Susie let me explain."

She looked at him tearfully and pulled her wrists away. "No. I don't want to hear it, Juan. Just leave."

"If that's the way you want it, then fine! I'll leave!"

Epstein brushed past her and left in an angry huff. He slammed the door behind him and took off running without knowing where he was going.

...

A noisy group of high school students entered the local burger hangout. A group of Sweathogs came in as well, with Vinnie leading the way. Everyone was laughing and playing around with one another. Freddie made a joke about someone in line, causing Horshack to laugh. Horshack then attempted to slap him a five but Freddie pulled his hand away. Vinnie laughed, placing an arm on Freddie's shoulder like it was an arm rest.

"That will never get old." Vinnie laughed.

"Gotta hand it to the little guy." Freddie laughed. "He's persistent."

"One day," Vinnie said, pointing a finger at Horshack. "One day, if you keep taking your vitamins, you will be fast enough to give him that five like you've been trying to do for so long."

"Aw come on!" Horshack started laughing.

Vernajean, as she looked across the room, frowned and tapped Freddie's arm to get his attention. "Hold up." She said. "That's Epstein over there."

"What? That is Epstein!" Rosalie exclaimed in surprise. "What's he doing here?"

"No that can't be Epstein." Vinnie said, shaking his head. "If it was him then we gotta kill him for goin' off his diet."

Freddie looked over at Epstein. "I think we gotta start killin'."

The group of friends, with Vinnie and Freddie leading, charged over to the table where Epstein sat, eating a tray full of food. Once at the table, they all stood there, looking at him disappointed.

"Epstein, we are surprised at you." Horshack said. "Do you know what you are eating?"

"Lay off my case, Horshack." Epstein, clearly upset, said before continuing to eat. "I ain't in the mood."

"Epstein!" Vinnie exclaimed. "What's gotten into you?"

"Yeah." Rosalie said. "You've been workin' real hard, trying to lose weight."

"You've had us helpin' you stick to your diet, and what do you do? You come here and start stuffin' your face!" Vernajean exclaimed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Why are you doin' this fo'?" Freddie asked, just as disappointed as the others. "You've lost a bunch of weight now you're just goin' to throw it all away?"

"I said lay off my case!" Epstein snapped. "I'm havin' a bad day and I know I shouldn't be doing this but I needed something to help me calm down! I didn't need any of this from you guys. Now just do us all a favor and back off before I get real upset."

"What are you goin' to do if we don't back off?" Vinnie asked, getting upset. "Chow down on some more burgers? You goin' to show us by gaining back that weight you lost?"

"That's it!" Epstein tore to his feet. "I don't need to take this!" he quickly snatched up some of his food and stormed out of the building.

The others were so stunned, watching him storm off. They had no idea what to do but they knew they should do something to help him. Epstein clearly was in a lot of pain over something and they knew they needed to help him before he got worse.


	4. Chapter 4

Epstein entered his house and slammed the door. After hearing his mother shout at him, he quickly apologized before trying to calm himself down. When one of his brothers approached, Epstein turned his head down. He couldn't bear to reveal his red, puffy eyes from crying. His brother let him know that he was just on time for dinner. Even though Epstein knew he shouldn't eat any more, he went into the dining room and took his place at the table.

His mother served him his usual portion, which he slowly ate while keeping his gaze off his surrounding family members. He ate his meal in complete silence, and hoped that nobody tried talking to him. This worked fine until his mother brought desert onto the table. He almost got up right then, telling himself he needed to stop eating. Then he saw his mother had made one of his favorite deserts. Everything quickly went downhill from there.

At first, he tried to fight temptation and refuse the desert. Suddenly, the events of the day came flooding back to him. He tried to push these thoughts aside and continue fighting his temptations. However, his emotions got the best of him. He snatched up a desert plate and asked his siblings to pass him some of the desert.

All went quiet and all eyes turned onto him. He sat there, holding his empty plate, looking back at his siblings.

"Come on! What are you waitin' for?" His voice cracked a little. "Pass it to me!"

"Juan, your diet." One of his sisters said quietly.

"I don't care. I just want some of that."

His emotions were starting to rise to the surface. Tears were forming in his eyes. His throat burned and his stomach turned into knots.

His mother looked sternly at him. "Juan you better put that plate down if you know what's good for you."

As he looked at her, he tried to disguise his pain with coldness. "I said I. Don't. Care."

His siblings gasped and then let out audible reactions that meant "Juan's gonna get it." He quickly shut them up by yelling at them. His mother reacted by slapping the back of his head.

"Juan Epstein. I said put that plate down." He did as he was told. "Now, you come join me in the family room." She looked at her other children. "And the rest of you, leave him alone."

Epstein hesitated, frozen in a state of shock and shame. He huffed a little before storming out of the dining room with his head down. Once he reached where his mother was, he started apologizing for his actions, but she stopped him.

"Juan I don't know what got into you. You haven't been like this in a real long time." She gently lifted his chin so he would look at her. "What's got you so upset?"

"Aw Ma…" He looked away, starting to choke on his tears. "Please. I don't feel like talkin' about it."

"So you think going off your diet and lashing out at your siblings is the better choice? Look at me, Juan." He did as she asked, showing her his tears beginning to roll down his cheeks. "It breaks my heart seeing you like this."

"Then why do you keep telling me to look at you?!"

"Juan, calm down. Come sit." She went over to the couch and sat down, patting the cushion next to her. "Now talk to me. What's got you so upset?"

He sat down beside her and kept his head down as he let tears fall. "Ma, I had a really bad day and I feel like things are only going to get worse." He sniffed. "First, I guess I really messed things up with Susie. She hates me now." He wiped away some tears. "Then I guess I kinda messed things up with my friends. They hate me now too."

"How did this happen?" She reached over and thumbed away a couple of his tears. "All those people hate you? Now I don't believe it."

He sniffed. "Well maybe not. But it sure feels like it. Ok?" he paused, "maybe they don't hate me. But I upset them real bad."

"Well what happened to upset them?"

"Well with Susie it wasn't my fault. With my friends, it was. Well, I mean, I was at Susie's house y'know. Waitin' for her to come back upstairs to see me. In walks her sister and she's in the flirtin' mood. Starts comin' on to me."

"You didn't give in did you?"

"No of course not!"

"Good boy."

"Any way, I tried stopping her. But she kept goin' and got even more aggressive. She kissed me, Ma. I tried to stop her. I really did. But she kissed me right as Susie came back. That kiss is what Susie saw. She got real upset and started cryin'. Yelled at me to leave. I couldn't even explain what happened. She made me leave. So I left. I've never saw her so upset before. She was real hurt. It wasn't my fault, Ma! But she wouldn't let me explain." He sniffed.

"Well that certainly is a problem, Juan. I'm real sorry that happened to you. But I think you'll be able to work things out with Susie and get to explain what happened."

"Oh yeah? How? How can I do that if she doesn't want to see me?"

"Well I don't know. But I have faith in your relationship being strong enough to work past this. You'll see. Just give her some time to cool off."

He sighed and nodded. "Ok. Well what about my friends though?"

"I don't know. What happened to upset them?"

"Well…" He sniffed. "After leaving Susie I was so upset. I didn't know what else to do. So I, ah, well you know that burger joint on 58th street, down near the school?"

"Yes, I know the one."

"Well I kinda went there and ordered a bunch of food."

"Juan I am surprised at you!"

"I know I know!" He cried a little. "I was really upset. I needed food to calm down. I hate myself for going to that again. And Ma, how was I supposed to know my friends would show up and catch me?"

"Good thing they did, I say. You certainly had no business going there while you were so upset."

"I know, Ma! They confronted me. They were saying how disappointed they were in me for being there and eating like that. They made me feel so guilty. I couldn't take it so I took off. And, Ma, it was real hard avoidin' more food after that. Spent most of the time after I ran off just… crying and beating myself up."

"Well, Juan, I hate to say you brought that upon yourself. Your friends were right to confront you like that."

"Ma… I feel so…" he sniffed "I really hate myself. I know better than to eat like that to try to calm down. There's no way I want to get back to where I was before. I just… I don't know how I'm going to make things right."

"I can't go back and change how you acted after leaving Susie. You can't either. But you can change the way you handle things from here. How would you have handled a situation like this before your depression?"

"You wouldn't like this… but usually I'd find someone to fight. Blow off some steam with a few good punches."

"Hmm…" she frowned. "Well, I certainly don't like the sound of that. But I also don't like you eating your emotions. How about you try to find a heathy middle ground?"

"Yeah, good luck with that." He sighed. "I just need to make up with Susie. I hafta figure out how to get her to talk to me, y'know? So she can hear my side of things."

"That is something you'll have to work out. But in the meantime, please lay off the food. You've come so far along to waist it all now."

"I know." He sniffed and wiped the remainder of his tears away. "I wish I wasn't so emotional."

"Well I think maybe you're still feeling some effects of your depression. Which is why you were able to turn to food so quickly."

He nodded. "Yeah I guess. Sorry for all of this, Ma." He hugged her and then stood up. "I'm gonna head up to my room for a bit. I need some privacy to clear my head."

"Alright, Juan." She stood and hugged him. "And no more eating while you're upset. It'll only make things worse."

He sighed. "I know." He pulled away and then headed upstairs to his room.

...

A little while after Epstein went up to his room, a knock came on the Epstein's front door. This was immediately followed by a somewhat frantic ringing of the doorbell. In a bit of a frazzle, Mrs. Epstein went over to the front door.

"If I open this door and see a cop standing there, someone's going to be in big trouble!" Her children called out from various places in the house, quickly dismissing any possible trouble they may be in. Satisfied with the response, she opened the door. Much to her relief and everyone else's, it was the other Sweathogs standing there.

"Mrs. Epstein," Vinnie said "Sorry to bother you. Is this a bad time?"

"Not at all, Vincent."

"Well, we've been looking around for Juan and wondered if he's home."

"Yes, actually, he is. He went upstairs a little bit ago. Would you like to come in? I can see if Juan would like to see you."

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Epstein."

Vinnie lead the way into the house, with Freddie and Horshack close behind. They were told to wait in the family room. Mrs. Epstein headed upstairs to Epstein's room and knocked on the door.

"Juan Luis? You in there?"

Epstein sat up and rolled his eyes. "Where would I go?"

"Listen, Juan, your friends are here to see you."

"Why?" He stiffened a little.

"My guess is, they were concerned about you. Juan do you want to see them right now?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, yeah sure. Let them in."

He got up, leaving his bed. Walking across the room, he went over to the animal cages and then peeked in on his pets. When he heard the knock on the door, he hesitated before answering.

"Come in."

Vinnie peeked in the door. "This is your new room?" He stepped into the room. "How'd you manage this?"

Freddie whistled as he looked around. "You really stayin' in here? Last we saw you was rooming with two of yo' brothers."

"Very impressive, Little Juan!" Horshack said as he entered. "How come you're not sharing a room with your brothers no more?"

Epstein shrugged his shoulders and put some food in a dish for his hamsters. "Was crowded in there. They got tired of bein' in a room with my pets. I didn't want to be in a room without them." He placed the dish in the cage and then checked the water level. "So ma sacrificed her sewing room so I could stay with my animals. Guess it was her way of tryin' to help me feel better when I was goin' through my depression y'know?"

He turned to face his friends. It was the first time seeing them since that afternoon, and there was still a little shame in his eyes when he saw them.

"Now I know you ain't here to admire my room. Why are you here? Gonna yell at me some more?"

"Come on, Epstein." Vinnie said, taking a step closer to him. "We was worried about you. We was lookin' all over for you."

"Don't you know how to pick up a phone?" Freddie asked in a mock parental tone.

"Or write?" Horshack added, innocently

Epstein paced his hands on his hips and turned his head down. "I didn't exactly get that you wanted me to stick around." He shook his head and turned away from the. "I messed up. I know. But if you had any idea…." He sighed, lifting his eyes to the ceiling.

"What happened, Epstein?" Vinnie asked.

"Stephanie happened, Barbarino."

The other three guys looked at him confused. "Who's Stephanie?" They asked together.

"She's Cutie Pie's sister."

"Hold up, you got something goin' with yo' girlfriend's sister?" Freddie asked.

"Epstein I am surprised at you." Horshack added. "Does Cutie Pie know you're seeing her sister?"

"I ain't seein' her sister!" Epstein jerked around to face them. "I would never do that to her! I ain't like that! But Stephanie sure was tryin' to make it like like that." He paused, trying to calm himself down. "She came onto me. She sure was tryin' her best to get into my pants."

Vinnie smirked. "I don't think any chick will fit in your pants."

"You know what I mean! She was rubbin' me and she even climbed up on my lap and kissed me."

"What did you do?" Vinnie asked

"What do you think I did?"

Freddie gave him a slick smile. "Let her."

"No! I tried to stop her. More than once. But she wouldn't stop. She kissed me and that's when Cutie Pie caught us." He looked down and sighed. "Kicked me out of her house before I could explain what happened. And you know what happened after that."

The other three listened to him in silence as he spoke. The whole time, they appeared as sorrowful as he felt. Suddenly, as soon as he finished talking, Horshack leapt toward Epstein and dove down to the floor, wrapping himself around Epstein's legs.

"Poor Little Juan!" He cried, with his face pressed against Epstein's pant legs. "We're so sorry your relationship has gone to the dumps!"

Epstein kicked at him and then pulled his legs out of his grasp. "Get off me, man!"

Vinnie stepped closer, kicking Horshack off to the side. He stood in front of Epstein and placed his hands on Epstein's shoulders, looking him in the eyes.

"Epstein. We're sorry this happened to you. It's real messed up. But, everything is going to be okay."

"You're probably right, Barbarino." Epstain sighed a little and then moved away from Vinnie. "I just wish I knew how to make it right with Susie."

"I'm sure you'll find a way." Vinnie said. "In the meantime, her sister's available, right?"

Epstein looked at him with a frown. "Are you kiddin' me? Of coruse she's available. She's so available she'd probably date Mr. Kotter if she had the chance. Shit, she'd even date Horshack. She ain't picky."

"So I can have her number?"

"Come on, Barbarino. Even you don't want a girl like that. Trust me."

"Alright." Freddie said, stepping forward. "Let's fo'get about Stephanie. Let's focus on Cutie Pie and Epstein. We need a way to get the two love birds, back to bein' lovey dovey."

Epstein looked at him and his face suddenly brightened into a smile. "Yeah, yeah let's do that!"

"What?" Vinnie asked in his typical dumb guy voice.

"Get me back with Cutie Pie."

"Where?"

"Come on! I ain't in the mood for that dumb act. Let's get serious."

Horshack jumped up excitedly, raising his arm in the air. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!"

"Horshack what is it?" Epstein asked.

"Why don't we put our heads together and come up with a plan?"

"Good idea." Epstein said.

The four of them stepped closer together, joining in a huddle. Only, they met each other a little too close in the middle, bumping their heads together. They backed away, expressing their pain.

"Horshack," Vinnie said "I appreciate your enthusiasm. But I don't think that's how we're supposed to do that."

Horshack rubbed his forehead. "I'll say. That really hurt!"

The other three guys shook their heads and then they huddled together again. They began thinking of some ideas right away. Whatever gesture Epstein would make, it would have to be a big one.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day after school, the Sweathogs stayed after to get permission to use the gym. Luckily for them, Epstein was on first name basis with the principal and many other staff members. That made it easy to talk their way into getting access to the gym after school hours. The four of them got the key to open the doors to the gym and walked in. This was step one to Epstein's plan to win back Cutie Pie.

The four of them wasted no time in getting to work. This part of Epstein's plan required special lighting and a sound system on which they could play music. Luckily for them, this part was easy since these things were still set up from the last school dance. All they had to do was find the controls that they needed to set up the rest.

Once they had everything set up, all they had to do was wait. The next part of his plan, all depended on if the girls could convince Cutie Pie to go to the school gym with them. That was the part that made Epstein really anxious.

They waited with him, watching the gym doors. If they opened, then that meant Epstein's plan had a great chance at succeeding. If they didn't open, then Epstein would have to resort to his plan B.

Epstein kept his eyes on the doors, feeling as though time was standing still. He swallowed hard and felt his nerves beginning to go crazy inside of him. His feet felt like they were implanted in blocks of cement, so even if he wanted to move from his spot, he wouldn't be able to. For just a second, he moved his eyes off the doors, to the clock above to see what time it was.

"Come on." He whispered. Vinnie squeezed his shoulder to get him to relax.

A few more minutes went by and Epstein was just about to give up hope. Then he, and his three friends, perked up when they heard voices on the other side of the gym doors. A slight smile appeared on Epstein's lips and he stood up straight. The doors cracked open, bringing in light from the hallway. First Vernajean stepped inside, then Rosalie. Seeing them made Epstein's nerves rise even more. The girls were in the middle of a conversation, seemingly about the subject they used to lure Cutie Pie to the gym. The girls turned to the doorway, ushering someone to come in with them.

Cutie Pie entered the gym. Vinnie and Freddie smiled, patting Epstein on the back. Horshack, a little too enthused, gave Epstein a full body hug, squeezing him. Epstein grumbled and shoved him away. Vinnie and Freddie then pulled Horshack aside, and the three of them walked off to where they would be to help carry out the plan.

Stunned to see Epstein, Cutie Pie slowly stepped forward. She walked toward him, feeling her heart pound. As she did this, the other two girls stepped away, out of sight.

"Juan what is all this?" She asked

"I needed some way to get you to see me." He walked closer to her, closing the gap between them. "Susie I… I need to explain what happened the other day. None of that was my fault."

She lay her index finger across his lips. "Shh… Juan it's okay. You don't need to explain. I should have known better. Stephanie's always pulling this kind of crap. And I know you better than that, Juan. You would never cheat."

He grinned slightly, relieved. "I'm loyal to everyone I care about." He grazed her cheek with his hand. "And I care about you an awful lot."

She blushed, unable to keep from smiling. "Oh, I get the feeling there's something more to all this than wanting to talk to me."

He smiled "What would give you that idea?"

"Just a hunch."

He laughed. "You're right." He looked towards the other side of the gym where the other guys were. "Now!"

Most of the lights in the gym turned off, leaving just enough light to see. A disco ball, which was still hung from the last school dance, came down and began spinning. A light shone on it, casting what seemed like millions of balls of reflected light to dance around the room. Cutie Pie looked around in wonder. She was about to say something about it, but Epstein stopped her. He then looked back toward where his friends were.

"Now!"

Music started playing. It started out slow. As soon as the vocals came on, Cutie Pie smiled, instantly recognizing the song. Epstein grinned and told her to listen to the song as Van Morrison sang the sweet words of Tupelo Honey. Epstein took her by the hands and looked her in the eyes.

"You have no idea how much you mean to me. When I saw how upset you were, I thought I was going to lose you again. But I knew that if I couldn't get you to talk to me where I could explain my side of things, then I'd have to do something big to ensure I wouldn't lose you."

"Juan where is this going?"

"Shh. Honey, just stand here and listen to the music. I think it'll let you know what I need you to hear."

She smiled and closed her eyes as she listened to the song. As she stood there with her eyes closed, the other three Sweathogs came over to her. Vinnie and Freddie each took her by an arm and guided her to turn around. Horshack took her hands and placed a rose in them, wrapping her fingers around the stem.

Once the song came to a certain spot, Rosalie and Vernajean waked over to Cutie Pie and guided her back around to face Epstein. Everyone else stepped away from the two of them and then watched from where they stood. Epstein told Cutie Pie to open her eyes. When she did, she shrieked in surprise. She dropped the rose as he hands flew up to cover her mouth. Epstein was on bended knee, presenting his great-grandmother's ring.

"Susie, there's so many things I want to say to you. But nothing seems good enough for this moment." He swallowed. "I love you, Susie. I never want to let you go. Will you marry me?"

She began trembling. She moved her mouth to speak but couldn't get any words out. Her voice managed to squeak out a single word.

"Yes!"

Epstein smiled and stood up. He took her left hand and gently slid the ring onto her finger. He let her admire it for a second before placing a finger beneath her chin to lift it. He looked her in the eyes and then gave her a slow, sensual kiss.

The whole time the proposal occurred, the other teenagers watched in silent excitement. As surprised, and as happy as they all were to see what was happening, neither of them dared to ruin the moment. They just opted for pantomime cheers. Once they were sure it was safe, they hurried over and enveloped the couple with their cheers of excitement. The girls surrounded Cutie Pie and excitedly admired the ring on her finger. The guys pulled Epstein aside and congratulated him.

"Wow Epstein!" Vinnie exclaimed. "I knew you was going to make a big gesture to show her how you felt about her. I had no idea that meant you was going to propose!"

"Yeah, well," Epstein grinned and shrugged his shoulders "what can I say? I'm good at keeping secrets."

Freddie laughed and cupped Epstein's shoulder with his hand. "Hey my main Puerto Rican! When you plan a surprise, you go big!"

"Yeah." Horshack pointed a finger at Epstein. "Did you know you was goin' to propose?"

"Of course I did. I've been carrying that ring around with me for a couple weeks. Knew the minute ma gave it to me I was goin to propose. Just needed some time to come up with a way to do this."

"Why didn't you let us in on it?" Vinnie asked.

"I needed it to be a surprise. Thought if you guys knew, something would have gone wrong."

Before either of them could respond, the girls shrieked in delight. Everyone gathered together and they joined in a celebration.

...

Gabe and Julie sat at their kitchen table, finishing up their dinner. He had just told her a joke about one of his many relatives, to which she responded slightly amused. As they talked, recounting on their days, Gabe mentioned something to her about the Sweathogs planning something and how he was nervous about what it could be, especially since this plan seemed to be Epstein's idea.

"Just in case, Julie, we better turn on the news."

Julie laughed and then looked toward the window. She held a slightly nervous grin as she looked outside. "We might not have to. Looks like they brought the news to us." She pointed to the window.

Gabe looked at the window and then stood up. "Why look! Our favorite guests are dropping in via the fire escape yet again!" He went to the window and opened it. "Well if it isn't the Sweathogs. And a couple Sweathogetts. What brings all of you here?"

Vinnie was first to come in through the window. "Glad to catch you two at home." He said with a grin.

"Have we got some news. And I mean big." Freddie said, following Vinnie. He stopped to help Vernajean inside.

"Mr. Kotter, Mrs. Kotter you're not going to believe this." She said. "This is possibly the biggest Sweathog news ever."

"Yeah," Said Rosalie, entering the apartment. "You're not going to believe it."

Horshack crawled in and went into a laugh. "I still don't believe it." He looked at Gabe and Julie. "You two shoulda been there! It was so romantic!"

"Been where?" Gabe asked

Julie joined Gabe and smiled a little. "What's this big news that's so unbelievable and romantic?"

Epstein started to climb in through the window. "Well I'll answer that by introducing someone very special." He helped Cutie Pie inside.

"Well if it isn't miss Cutie Pie." Gabe said

"Susie it's been a while." Julie said "This is a real treat. But, Juan, you said you were going to introduce her to us. We already know her."

Epstein smirked, taking Cutie Pie's hand. "Mr. Kotter, Mrs. Kotter, meet my fiancé."

Cutie Pie smiled, blushing a little. "We're getting married." She held out her hand, showing off the ring.

"Getting married?!" Gabe and Julie exclaimed in unified surprise.

"Don't you two think you're a little young to get married?" Julie asked.

"How can you be getting married?" Gabe exclaimed "You're still in school!" He looked at Epstein "She isn't – you know…"

"What?" Epstein asked "You mean pregnant? No way Mr. Kotter!" he looked at Cutie Pie. "You're not are you?" She confirmed that she wasn't. He looked at Gabe. "Of course not! That's not why we're getting married. Maybe one day we'll get into that, but hopefully not for a long time."

"Yes, don't worry about us, Mr. Kotter, Mrs. Kotter." Cutie Pie said. "We're not rushing into anything. We're going to wait a while. Finish school and whatever else we need to focus on first before we begin planning a wedding."

Epstein nodded. "Yeah, yeah. We're both real sure about this."

"It's good you two are waiting to get married." Gabe said "But why get engaged while you're still in high school?"

Epstein shrugged with a small grin. "Why not? We love each other. We know we'll be together. It just felt right, Mr. Kotter. I mean, how long did you wait before asking Mrs. Kotter to marry you?"

Gabe chuckled. "Ok Epstein you have a point. I asked Julie as soon as I knew she was the one." He looked at Julie who smiled at him. "When you know, you know."

"See, Mr. Kotter, you get it." Epstein said. "That's how I felt with Susie. I just knew."

"Now if you could only be this sure about your test answers you might be headed for a straight C average by now." Gabe joked. He extended a hand to Epstein. "Anyway, congratulations, Epstein. I can tell you've got a good head on your shoulders about this." He said, shaking Epstein's hand. "You've got a good thing for yourself. Don't let go of this."

"I won't, Mr. Kotter." He looked at Cutie Pie. "I intend to keep her for the long run."

Cutie Pie smiled and blushed. "Juan."

"I love you." He kissed her.

"I love you too, Juan."

This resulted in a response of "ooohs" from their friends.

"Cut it out!" Epstein exclaimed, shutting them up.

Julie smiled "Well, congratulations you two. Anyone can see how happy you are together."

"We are, Mrs. Kotter." Cutie Pie said. "And thank you."

"When the two of you decide to get married," Gabe said "please let us know. I'll need to get my suit dry cleaned."

"No problem Mr. Kotter. We'll put you first on the guest list." Epstein said with a grin. "Right after my family. So, y'know, you will be waitin' a while to get your invitation."

"Hey listen," Freddie said, stepping forward. "Don't mean to cut this short, but we gotta split. We just fell by to give you the news." He smiled slickly. "Now we've got some celebratin' to do."

Gabe laughed a little. "Go on. You deserve it. Oh and, Epstein, Susie, I'm real happy for you both. I'm glad things have worked out so well for you."

"Thanks Mr. Kotter." Cutie Pie said

Epstein watched as their friends started leaving through the window. "See you soon." He helped Cutie Pie out the window before following her.

Once all the teens were out the window and down the fire escape, Gabe looked at Julie with a smile.

"There, Julie," he said pointing towards the fire escape "goes the real deal. And I just know the next excuse note I'll get won't be signed Epstein's mother."

"What makes you say that?" She asked with a small laugh.

"It'll probably be signed Epstein's fiancé now." He laughed and then brought her into a hug. "Have I ever told you how proud I am of that kid?"

"No." She smiled. "But I know you are."

"He's a good kid. They all are."

"I know."

He kissed her and then he led her over to the couch. They sat down and began talking about the happy news. They knew that, with Susie, Epstein would always be in good hands.


End file.
